During this observation, focus on how class begins. Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? Using the clock on the wall, determine when your CT establishes order and begins class. How did she/he start their lesson? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed? How does your CTengage students during the opening of the lesson?
My first observation at Coventry High School was middle-level Chemistry with Mrs. Sullivan. Before class even began, Mrs. Sullivan stood outside the classroom and greeted her students as they entered. One student came in, dropped off his things at his desk, then went to the door and talked with Mrs. Sullivan for a few minutes. She started establishing order right as the bell rang. The morning announcements over the loud speaker allowed her time to take attendance and pass out policies to the class. To begin class, Mrs. Sullivan writes the objectives for the period on the black board and briefly summarizes each one. The first three objectives are mainly book keeping items while the fourth objective is the introduction of the topic of Matter. To start this lesson, Mrs. Sullivan begins a question and answer session with the students about Atoms, Ions, and Molecules. She takes a sample of copper sulfate and asks if it is a compound or an element.
The next class I observed was an AP Chemistry class taught by Dr. Pothier. She was in the classroom before the class began and she was talking with some students who arrived before the bell. As the last students entered the room, she invited them to share their thoughts on the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. She actually had the students begin their practice problems about 10 minutes into the start of the period. They got into groups and worked on answering the question packet.
I really liked how Mrs. Sullivan greeted her students and how Dr. Pothier began class with a discussion about current issues. Greeting the students makes them feel acknowledged, especially in a big school like Coventry High School. A discussion about current issues really gets students talking and also grabs their attention at the start of the lesson. What I would change in Mrs. Sullivan's lesson was the time she took to do the book keeping tasks. It seemed as though she spent more time on trivial things such as parents' signatures on policy handouts than the actual lesson. Once she started her discussion about atoms and molecules, she didn't have the students' interest. They had disengaged themselves in her talking long before the lesson came around. Maybe saving the policy and science fair talk for after the lesson, she could have had more success in keeping the students focused. In Dr. Pothier's class I definitely would have changed the timing as well. I would have left at least 10 minutes at the end of class to bring the students back together and go over the questions and the answers each group chose. This could act as a formative assessment instead of a packet that didn't seem to serve a purpose. Overall, I really enjoyed both of my CT's enthusiasm for their students and for teaching Chemistry. I was impressed with their knowledge of the subject and their knowledge of dealing appropriately with students.
My first observation at Coventry High School was middle-level Chemistry with Mrs. Sullivan. Before class even began, Mrs. Sullivan stood outside the classroom and greeted her students as they entered. One student came in, dropped off his things at his desk, then went to the door and talked with Mrs. Sullivan for a few minutes. She started establishing order right as the bell rang. The morning announcements over the loud speaker allowed her time to take attendance and pass out policies to the class. To begin class, Mrs. Sullivan writes the objectives for the period on the black board and briefly summarizes each one. The first three objectives are mainly book keeping items while the fourth objective is the introduction of the topic of Matter. To start this lesson, Mrs. Sullivan begins a question and answer session with the students about Atoms, Ions, and Molecules. She takes a sample of copper sulfate and asks if it is a compound or an element.
The next class I observed was an AP Chemistry class taught by Dr. Pothier. She was in the classroom before the class began and she was talking with some students who arrived before the bell. As the last students entered the room, she invited them to share their thoughts on the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. She actually had the students begin their practice problems about 10 minutes into the start of the period. They got into groups and worked on answering the question packet.
I really liked how Mrs. Sullivan greeted her students and how Dr. Pothier began class with a discussion about current issues. Greeting the students makes them feel acknowledged, especially in a big school like Coventry High School. A discussion about current issues really gets students talking and also grabs their attention at the start of the lesson. What I would change in Mrs. Sullivan's lesson was the time she took to do the book keeping tasks. It seemed as though she spent more time on trivial things such as parents' signatures on policy handouts than the actual lesson. Once she started her discussion about atoms and molecules, she didn't have the students' interest. They had disengaged themselves in her talking long before the lesson came around. Maybe saving the policy and science fair talk for after the lesson, she could have had more success in keeping the students focused. In Dr. Pothier's class I definitely would have changed the timing as well. I would have left at least 10 minutes at the end of class to bring the students back together and go over the questions and the answers each group chose. This could act as a formative assessment instead of a packet that didn't seem to serve a purpose. Overall, I really enjoyed both of my CT's enthusiasm for their students and for teaching Chemistry. I was impressed with their knowledge of the subject and their knowledge of dealing appropriately with students.